What America Eats and Why You Should Care

In the Nation’s Restaurant News article "What America Eats," we found that people across the country are selective when it comes to their diet. Why? Because they can be. There are virtually endless resources telling us what 's good for us, what is sustainable, what is hormone free, and the list goes on. There are an incredible number of factors that weigh into dietary decisions.

There are studies that reveal consumers use food as self expression, as an adventure and to satisfy many different dietary habits. Think quinoa and hummus, once obscure and now a staple on many menus nationwide.

"Consumers, especially Millennials, are more familiar with diverse dietary habits, such as Paleo, vegan or vegetarian, and are adapting aspects of those diets to meet their needs."

With almost endless sources of dietary information, who do Millennials and their Baby Boomer parents trust when it comes to health and wellness information?

So what do restaurants do to meet the evolved cravings of our nation’s foodies? Dan Kish, senior vice president of food at Panera Bread, said the 1,900-unit fast-casual chain is developing an app to respond to its guests’ dietary needs. Many restaurants are following suit.

As restaurants adapt to changing consumer demands, it’s more critical than every to leverage technology to monitor food costs, ensuring new dishes (with new ingredients) remain profitable. With Plate IQ,as demand spikes for particular ingredients, operators are notified immediately of vendor price changes so they can adjust their ordering accordingly.

Plate IQ is an automated accounts payable solution that helps restaurants save time, improve the accuracy of their data, and gain insight into their expenses by automatically extracting data from uploaded invoices.